Every now and then I seem to get stuck in a rut. Right now my rut involves wanting to do everything, all at once. While it makes for a very messy craft room, it does allow me to really be creative. That’s how I ended up with a custom-coloured leafy trellis, along with a simple way to attach said trellis, and a tip for the Detailed Trio Punch. All this for just one gift tag.

LEAFY TRELLIS

It all started when I was playing with the leafy trellis panel from the Delightfully Detailed Laser-Cut Specialty Paper. This paper (more like card really) is Whisper White on one side and Very Vanilla on the other, but I wanted something different.

I placed the panel inside an old cardboard box Very Vanilla side up and then grabbed three Stampin’ Spritzers. Each one was filled almost to the top with 50% alcohol (from Dollarama) and then topped up with 10 drops of reinker. I decided on 3 colours, Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist and finally Granny Apple Green,

I began by spritzing the panel with the Garden Green solution. Then I went over it with Lemon Lime Twist, followed by the Granny Apple Green. I actually spritzed quite a lot and the different coloured solutions didn’t dry immediately. Instead some of it kind of pooled on the top, so I decided to set it aside and play with something else instead.

HUMMING ALONG

I grabbed the Humming Along Stamp Set and using Tuxedo Black ink, stamped the Hummingbird onto Very Vanilla Card. But then I couldn’t help myself…

I pulled out my Stampin’ Blends and coloured the image starting with dark Mango Melody for the beak. I used dark and light Rich Razzleberry for the wings, with dark and light Bermuda Bay for the head, back and tail. Finally I coloured the chest with dark and light Shaded Spruce. To finish off I added a layer of shimmer to the chest with a Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush. Then I cut it out with Paper Snips (I don’t yet have the coordinating dies) and set it aside.

TIP – If you missed it, make sure you check out my Stampin’ Blends tips in yesterday’s blog post Two Types of Marker

Next I wiped a piece of Very Vanilla Card with an Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static from the surface. Then I stamped the birthday sentiment from Humming Along with VersaMark ink. I sprinkled the sticky ink with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. Finally, once I’d removed a few stray specks, I melted the rest of the powder with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

Instead of shaping the sentiment with a punch or die, I decided to cut it out using Paper Snips, then set it aside.

BACK TO THE LEAFY TRELLIS

I was almost ready to start putting the tag together, except I didn’t yet have my tag base.

For this I decided to use the Rectangle Stitched Framelits, specifically the largest group of dies in the set (I call this group C). Counting from the smallest up I began with #C4, to cut some Very Vanilla Card using my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform .

Then I cut another piece of Very Vanilla Card using the same die. This time though I also used the #C3 die in the centre of the piece to create a frame.

But I wasn’t quite finished with the #C4 die. I needed the leafy trellis piece to fit my tag, so I cut it using the #C4 die, making sure to include two sides of the panel border. This would help keep most of the leafy trellis stable while I worked. Once I’d die cut the piece I carefully turned the die over keeping everything in the die. Next I put little dots of Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) around the edge of the leafy piece and on each of the leaves. Then I placed the die-cut tag base on top, pressing firmly so all the sections of the trellis would be secure.

Now I could remove the trellis pieces from the die already attached to the base. Then I used more liquid glue to attach the frame to the front of the tag, sandwiching the edges of the trellis between the two Very Vanilla pieces.

All that was left was to punch the hole at the top with the Detailed Trio Punch, and tie on some Gold 3/8″ Metallic-Edge Ribbon. Then I added the hummingbird and sentiment with Stampin’ Dimensionals and my tag was complete.

DETAILED TRIO PUNCH TIP

I really like the Detailed Trio Punch, it’s so versatile. But at times, getting the oval hole exactly where I need it can be a challenge. Even with the groove on the punch, I don’t always get it right.

Just recently however I had a lightbulb moment. What I needed was a guide to help me. In no time at all I’d come up with a quick, easy and inexpensive solution.

The guide is held in place with a Mini Glue Dot and when it gets tatty I can simply remove it and replace it with a new one.

There’s a centre line, and red lines 1″ either side of that, which is a measurement I use a lot for my gift tags and bookmarks. There’s also other lines marked at 1/4″ intervals so if I want to offset the hole I can do that too.

Finally if I want to be precise when adding a hole to an odd shaped die-cut. I punch the hole first and then die-cut the shape. Makes perfect sense now I think of it.

Anyway, I was going to explain how I marked and cut the guide but instead I made a quick video. This will probably make a lot more sense.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

I love how this tag turned out. All the elements really seem to work well together, and I learned a few things along the way. All in all that’s what I consider to be a successful crafting session.

Whatever you have planned for today, I hope you’re able to find a little time to be creative.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I fussy cut my hummingbird, but there are coordinating dies available for the Humming Along Stamp Set. You can buy the stamp set and dies separately, or you can get them as part of a bundle which will save you 10%. Also available in a bundle is the Rectangle Stitched Framelits with the Amazing Life Stamp Set (not used today). You’ll find links to the bundles included in the product list below.